Opinion

Michael McCarthy, chairperson of the National Oversight and Audit Commission, argues that councillors’ independent role in overseeing their local authorities should be respected

A good local authority is vital to every local community, but good oversight is also necessary to ensure that everyone benefits from effective and efficient regional services.

The sector itself is subject to a significant level of oversight from locally elected councillors, the National Oversight and Audit Commission (NOAC), the Local Government Audit Service, internal audit units, audit committees and a range of other bodies.

We in the NOAC, overseeing the local government sector, expect …